> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.carletonblockchain.ca/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Overview of Smart Contracts

> Self executing code stored on the blockchain network

### Intro

Building on the themes introduced in the Bitcoin whitepaper that try to eliminate the use of intermediaries,
Smart Contracts automatically and deterministically executes agreements based on predefined conditions.

### Brief Intro

In 1990s, computer Scientist and lawyer Nick Szabo first [proposed the idea](https://www.fon.hum.uva.nl/rob/Courses/InformationInSpeech/CDROM/Literature/LOTwinterschool2006/szabo.best.vwh.net/idea.html) of smart contracts and used a vending machine
analogy.

Imagine a vending machine: You insert money, select a snack, and it automatically
delivers your choice. No cashier needed—the machine enforces the deal. Similarly,
a smart contract is a self-executing agreement that runs automatically when conditions are met,
without human intermediaries. Smart contracts can automate virtually any kind of exchange.

A smart contract can be created and deployed to a blockchain by anyone. Their code is transparent and publicly verifiable,
which means that any interested party can see exactly what logic a smart contract follows when it receives digital assets.